t's a month before Christmas, and all through the North Pole, every creature is stirring—especially Scott Calvin (Allen), otherwise known as Santa Claus. It's been eight years since Scott accepted his role as the new Kriss Kringle, and he's turning out to be the best Father Christmas ever. At least the elves—led by Bernard (David Krumholtz)—think so.
But for Scott's son, Charlie (Lloyd), who is now 16, the holidays are a source of particular stress, which he's acting out by spray-painting graffiti on his high school's gym wall. The school's strict principal, Carol Newman (Mitchell), isn't amused.
So it comes as a shock to Scott to discover that his own son has landed on the "naughty" list. But that's not the worst of it. Curtis (Spencer Breslin), a 900-year-old elf, delivers the big surprise. Scott must marry before Christmas Eve if he wants to remain Santa. It's the "Mrs. Clause" of his contract. He has 28 days.
In the meantime, Scott finds himself "de-Santafying": his beard is getting shorter, his hair browner, his waistline svelter. He must journey back to the civilized world to find a potential bride, woo her and wed her before Christmas eve. But how can he get away when there are toys to be made? Curtis comes up with a solution: a mechanical Toy Santa (Allen again), who will fill in while Scott's away.
Scott arrives in town to meet with Principal Newman and Charlie's mom, Laura (Crewson), and sensitive stepdad, Neil (Judge Reinhold), to talk about Charlie's future. He also reacquaints himself with Lucy (Liliana Mumy), Charlie's 7-year-old stepsister.
As Scott struggles to find a suitable woman to take back north, the Toy Santa begins to think he can do a better job than the real Santa. But time is running out, as is Scott's supply of magic. Meanwhile, Scott discovers that Principal Newman may not be as cold-hearted as he first thought.
A cinematic lump of coal in your stocking
The Santa Clause 2 is the belated follow-up to 1994's hit film about a cynical toy executive and single father who magically becomes the jolly old elf himself. Speaking of cynical, there's little to suggest that this bit of holiday frippery was crying to be made, except for the original's $145 million in domestic box office.
Why it took so long to drag this overburdened sleigh onto screens in time for Thanksgiving 2002 is also a mystery, as is why it took the talents of five credited screenwriters (and untold uncredited ones) to craft this lame sequel. But it did, not to mention the ministrations of veteran TV director Lembeck, who makes his dubious feature-film debut with Clause 2.
Clause 2 is as stuffed as Santa's sack with Christmas cheer and family sentiment that is as phony as the red and green tinsel covering everything in sight. Though it reunites the talented cast of the first film, and adds the charming Mitchell into the mix, Clause 2—like its novice flying reindeer, Chet—never manages to lift off.
The first film worked well enough as a metaphor for the way the holidays can melt the hardest heart and bring the most troubled families together. Allen was able to make use of his swaggering buffoon persona to good effect, adding an edge to what might have otherwise collapsed into gooey sentiment. Clause 2 has no such success, starting out frothy and becoming even frothier.
Not helping is the sophomoric humor, including reindeer fart jokes, the adolescent romance between Allen and Mitchell, the relentless slapstick bits or the cheerless overacting by almost everyone. Lembeck, whatever his virtues as a helmer of sophisticated TV situation comedy, seems ill-equipped for either a big visual-effects movie (as this attempts to be) or a magical family fantasy, and scenes play flat or over-the-top or go on far too long.
Speaking of visual effects, Clause 2 features some of the cheesiest computer animation and puppetry seen in a major studio film in a long time. Only the production design, based on the Art Nouveau period, displays any wit.
